Who does not remember the commotion caused by the Calvin Klein advertising campaign in 1992? In it, a very young Kate Moss, just 17 years old, posed with branded boxers and jeans, covering her breasts with her hands or hiding them behind Mark Walhlberg, Marky Mark, as he was known at the time. A year ago now, during an interview for the BBC, the model recounted her anxiety that this job caused her and that she forced her to take a Valium to be able to pose relaxed.
Three decades later, men’s underwear has once again burst into fashion, but not as a sexy claim aimed at by women, but as the comfortable garment that we choose to create relaxed looks that highlight the genderless trend. And it is that, although there are several celebrities, such as the actress Julia Fox, who even dare with the slip as pants to go shopping at the supermarket, it is the boxer shorts with a wide silhouette, straight cut and elastic waistband that has become the most popular. sneaked into the female closet.
Thus, from the corset, the visible bra or bralette under the jacket and the Schiaparelli bustiers that we have been seeing in recent seasons, we have come to appropriate men’s underwear as if nothing had happened. With the years that have passed since stealing our boyfriend’s white shirt, it already seemed like a statement to us.
“With the pandemic we got rid of uncomfortable clothes and even before pajamas had taken to the streets combined with high-heeled sandals and a clutch to go to night events. Now, with the arrival of summer, we still want to be comfortable and in addition to ‘aithlesure’ fashion, which is still very present with its cycling tights and short-sleeved sweatshirts, we have adopted the underpants for the comfort it implies and its versatility for everything Kind of a summer look,” says Michelle Connors, stylist for Grazia UK.
“Female empowerment, with ‘free the nipple’, ‘curvy’ fashion and the demand for loose and relaxed clothing, fleeing from the stereotypes imposed by machismo, have meant that many women find the new shorts in underpants for the summer. There are practically no barriers anymore, everything masculine can be feminine and vice versa”, highlighted Nina Garcia, editor-in-chief of Elle US at a seminar at the Parsons School of Design in New York.
Our favorite it girls from the United States were already pointing to this trend two years ago, starting with the Hadid sisters. Bella wore white boxers for months as the only pants combined with a leather jacket and UGG, while her sister Gigi popularized Hugo Boss boxers in the firm’s campaign, shot in an American football stadium.
They were joined by the influencer Lauren Ladnier showing off blue and white striped briefs over her jeans, which caused this model, the diplomat, to quickly become popular in Scandinavia, with the Danish firm Tekla on everyone’s lips. not only for its exclusive sheets, bedding and towels, but also for its capsule collection of pajamas alongside Jacquemus that quickly took to the streets.
He would be followed in this style by Chiara Ferragni, already in a total look and with the shirt above the navel, and the model and content creator Emilie Joseph, retaking the boyfriend shirt combined with colored striped briefs.
But the best was yet to come: the Miu Miu show for this spring/summer 2023, with underpants over skirts with low-rise pants, as a claim under see-through dresses and highlighting the icing on the cake: a boxer brief long over another in the form of what has even come to be called elastic shorts.
Hence, influencers from our country and Portugal have also given the go-ahead to this trend that has brought underwear to the fore, from Paula Nata combining boxers with an open poplin shirt to Lucia Cuesta with underpants and boots. tall, and Meri Lozano wearing boxers under a pleated miniskirt. For her part, the Portuguese Caetana Botelho, @caetanaba on Instagram, is not afraid of mixing prints and colors and combines traditional men’s underwear with a horizontal striped top and a fringed bag.
Another twist to this new fashion is to make the briefs shorter, creating a hem to give them a more daring touch. Likewise, it is also booming to wear black boxers and superimpose them on top of a bikini. Stilettos, ballerinas, XL hats, kimonos and maxi jewelry are the accessories chosen to elevate this comfort look to the category of must-haves while we take a walk around Paris or take photos during a boat trip this August.
The world of men’s underwear has also been the inspiration for the summer collections of some firms in our country, such as La Veste, led by Blanca Miró and Maria de la Orden. Its Wild Summer, terry cloth shorts with fringes, combine perfectly with the firm’s vests or with V-neck tops in the same colors for a total look worthy of the best day in any Mediterranean island jewel.
For its part, Thinking Mu presents us with shorts with a front lace inspired by traditional boxer shorts but with a slightly wider pattern on the sides and made of organic cotton using natural dyes. “From the first moment we knew that we had to be sustainable and responsible in our productions. We wanted to transmit the values ??of the brand and make respect for the environment reach the consumer”, tells us Pepe Barguño, who, together with Miquel Castells, leads the firm with more than a decade behind him, when sustainability in the world of textile was far from the current objectives.
“We have recently incorporated a QR on all labels so that the consumer can access the production process and environmental impact associated with each product,” concludes Barguño.
